It's safe to say that Star Wars is likely the most popular film series of all time.
Not only have the official chapters and growing number of offshoots brought in billions of
dollars, they've captivated hundreds of millions the world over with classic stories of good
triumphing over evil.
But it takes a lot of money, time, and effort to put a Star Wars movie together, which means
once in awhile someone's going to blow a take.
For example ...
Super blooper
Sci-fi films naturally include dialogue with a lot of technical words, alien planets and
races, unusual character names, and assorted other jargon.
Actors have to work hard to memorize all that stuff, or at least be able to read it off
cue cards properly.
But it's a fairly simple word that ended up throwing off Mark Hamill while filming a scene
inside an X-Wing …
"Now let's get some distance before that thing goes blah blah."
"Now let's get some distance before that thing goes supernova.
How do you pronounce supernova?
What's the inflection?
SUPERnova or superNOVA?."
Man vs. Sword: Round 1
It would seem that the proper handling of a lightsaber is not really among actor Liam
Neeson's, well,
"...particular set of skills"
Anyway, while portraying Qui-Gon Jinn in The Phantom Menace, Neeson tried to smoothly unsheathe
Star Wars' trademark weapon, but as this take proves, he wasn't quite a real-life Jedi master...
Let's see that again — smooth!
Tongue-tied Tarkin
Bloopers can add a fascinating dimension to extremely familiar movie scenes.
Take, for example, this well-known moment from A New Hope, in which Princess Leia begs
and pleads with the stone-hearted Governor Tarkin not to blow up her adopted home planet.
Actor Peter Cushing reels around to chastise her, but gets tongue-tied …
"No!
Alderaan is peaceful, we have no weapons.
You can't!"
"You would prefer another target, a military target?
Then name the ... blah!
Name it, now!
Before I go home."
Man vs. Sword: Round 2
At some point in the last 40 years, thousands of kids have staged an epic, imaginary lightsaber
battle in their bedroom.
In this blooper, Hayden Christensen looks just like a Star Wars-loving little boy — up
to the moment he loses his balance and feels the Force…of gravity ...
"You okay?"
"Cut!"
Stuck stormtroopers
Blindly serving the evil Darth Vader, stormtroopers are intimidating, cutthroat, and unemotional
agents of death and destruction.
What could possibly stop their march of doom?
A hole too small to fit through, apparently, as seen in this blooper from A New Hope ...
Droid down
From the first Star Wars film until his death in 2016, actor Kenny Baker operated R2-D2
from the inside.
It's easy to forget that R2 is actually a relatively clunky costume and not actually
an advanced droid.
This means it can tip over, or the controls can suddenly go out, as they did in these
bloopers from The Phantom Menace …
Let it go
Saying the right words, moving your body around the right way, and interacting with other
actors all at the same time — and in the correct order — can be a lot to remember,
and if an actor screws up just one of those little things, it ruins the take.
In this scene from Attack of the Clones, Hayden Christensen knew he was supposed to let go
of Natalie Portman's arm — he just did it way too early ...
"Where are you going?"
"To find Obi-Wan."
"No, you're not."
"Let go of me."
Obi-Whine Kenobi
After being offered the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, but before taking the part, Alec Guinness
called it "fairy-tale rubbish."
He later wrote in a letter during filming that he didn't enjoy making the movie in part
due to what he called "rubbish dialogue."
That resentment from the legendary English actor is on display in this blooper from the
set of A New Hope, after he's upstaged by one of Chewbacca's hairy arms ...
"Here's where the fun begins."
"Well …"
Remember lines he cannot
Even the most vocal The Phantom Menace detractor — of which there are many — has to admit
that a highlight from the first, long-awaited Star Wars prequel was the return of Yoda.
Frank Oz returned to provide the Jedi Master's grammatically wonky voice, and even though
Oz wasn't physically on camera at all, he still seemed to get nervous on set ...
"Always two there are: no more, no less.
Now I forgot my line!"
"Can I cut, George?"
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